Chapter 13
Thirteen
HALLE
“ O h, blue looks so beautiful on you, baby girl. Want to try the yellow dress?” I ask, holding up the beautiful dress Rae picked out.
At first, I took her to the shorts and pants section, but she saw all the dresses, and I couldn’t get her out of it. I laugh at her as she twirls around before nodding happily and taking the dress from me. I wait as she changes and watch the door. That’s when I hear a scoff behind me.
“You should really take her somewhere and get her hair fixed. It looks nappy and dirty,” some fucking bitch has the audacity to say to me.
“Excuse me?” I say, almost in a whisper. I must have heard the bitch wrong. No way did she say what I think she just said. I look back at the dressing room and see Rae has come out of the room with her head down and holding the front of her dress. I see the tears glistening in her eyes, and I know she must have heard what the cunt said.
“I said…” she starts again, but I’m on her before she can utter another word.
“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU SAY?” I yell in her face before grabbing her by the back of the hair and wrenching her head back. She squeals and flails, trying to get out of my grip.
“How the fuck would you even know what to do with her hair? You…” she starts to go off again, but I’ve had enough. Just when I’m about to body slam the bitch to the floor, Rae comes out of nowhere.
She pulls her leg back and yells, “Cunt Punt!” before bringing her leg forward right into the woman’s crotch. I should probably tell her not to use the word ‘cunt,’ but honestly, this woman deserved it. Who tells someone’s kid they have a nappy and dirty head? I fucking hate stupid people.
“Stop, let me go. I’m calling the cops!” the woman yells as I tighten my hold on her hair, and Rae wraps herself around the ladies’ legs. Then I feel someone pull me off of her and hold me back. I swing, but I smell Loki and know instantly I’m safe. I look down and see that Rome has a hold of Rae, who's fighting him, trying to get back to the woman.
“Thank you for getting these crazy people off me,” the woman harrumphs while straightening her clothes. “I will be pressing charges. Can you hold them while I call the cops?”
“What the fuck did this bitch do, pet?” Loki asks me, finally letting me go. I’m glaring at her, wanting to attack again, but I answer Loki first.
“She said Rae’s hair was nappy and dirty and that I didn’t know what I was doing raising her,” I tell him. Rome and Loki go deathly still before they slowly turn to the woman in question. Her eyes widen as she looks at Loki.
“Run,” he says simply and quietly. She takes his advice and makes a break for it, running right out of the store, leaving her cart and clothes in front of us.
“Lokiiiiii…… I wanted to pinch and bite her some more,” Rae whines. Loki looks down at her and chuckles, rubbing the top of her head. She looks up and smiles at him before turning to me.
“Does my hair really look bad?” she asks, and I can see the pain those words caused written clearly on her face.
“No, baby. Your hair is beautiful just the way it is, but what if we go to the salon and get them to fix it up a bit? They can teach me exactly how to take care of it and what conditioners and hair products you might need,” I suggest, smiling down at her.
“Really?” she asks excitedly.
“Of course. They’ll need to teach me, too. I know nothing about how to fix girls' hair,” Loki says, turning to Rome.
“What do you say, Rome? Want to get your hair trimmed and set, too, son?” Loki asks Rome. He shrugs and then looks down, but I can see the smile on his face.
“Come on, my babies, I know the perfect place.” We head to the counter, where the young girl behind us watches closely while she rings up our items. She must have heard the commotion earlier.
When we finish paying, well, Loki finished—he won’t let me pay for anything—we grab our stuff and then head back out to the car.
“Where are we going now?” Rae asks, bouncing up and down in her seat.
“There is a beautiful black-owned salon right down the road. We are going to see if we can get you in for an appointment today. If not, we will schedule something for later,” I tell them both. Rae looks excited, while Rome seems nervous.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I ask him.
“I don’t want them to make fun of Rae’s hair like that other woman did,” he says, scowling.
“They would never do that, baby. They understand how to treat and care for her hair more than I do. They will tell us exactly what we need to do,” I try to reassure him.
“And if they don’t, you remember what happened to that bitch in the store. Just think, this time, you and I will be there to protect Rae and Halle,” Loki says.
We speed down the road, pull into the salon, and hop out. I grab Rae’s hand and walk up the front steps, Loki and Rome following not far behind us. The bell rings over the door as we walk in, and I can tell by just the smiles on the ladies' faces when we enter that I’m going to like this joint.
“Hello, my name's Tish. May I help you?” A heavy-set older black woman asks us, walking behind the counter.
“Yes, ma’am, these little babies need to get their hair done,” I tell her, and she smiles down at Rae and Rome.
“That shouldn’t be a problem. I had a cancellation today, so I can take them now,” she says. I smile at her in appreciation.
“Would you mind if I watch? I would like to learn how I can take care of her hair,” I ask.
“Oh, yeah, and me too,” Loki says, raising his hand behind me. We probably look just like the crazy fuckers we are.
“Uh, yeah, of course. May I ask who's been doing her hair so far?” she asks, raising a brow in question.
“It is nappy, isn’t it?” Rae asks, looking down, hurt in her eyes. The woman rushes to comfort her.
“Oh no, baby, it’s not nappy at all. We just need to get some conditioner in there and trim it up a bit. Who called your hair nappy?” Tish asks, looking up at Loki and me with fire in her eyes. She probably thinks it was one of us.
“This mean lady at the store, but don’t worry, Halle whooped her ass—I mean butt,” Rae says, correcting herself before looking up at me and smiling.
“Well, alright then. Why don’t you all come back here, and we will get started,” Tish says, motioning us back.
When we reach her chair, she gets Rae situated before starting her hair. As she goes, she tells me exactly what I need to do and know, detailing what products to use, which ones will dry her scalp, what is more painful, and how to wrap it up. Loki and I pay close attention to every single thing Tish tells us. I even catch Loki pulling out his phone and adding all the information to the notes app on his phone. He does the same when it's Rome’s turn. By the time we're done, we are all in better spirits. Tish is a fantastic person and so welcoming, as is everyone in the salon. I know I will bring Rae and Rome back here every chance I get.
“Alright, you two, you are both done. Why don’t you go up to the front counter and pick out a piece of candy,” she tells the kids, shooing them to the front of the store. She turns her friendly eyes back toward us.
“I’m sorry if it's rude of me to ask, but with the bruises I’ve seen on those sweet babies, I need to know. How did they come to stay with you both? Obviously, they both adore you guys, and from what Rae said, they just recently met you. I just want to make sure they are well taken care of,” Tish asks, putting her hands on her hips. I love this woman. She’s already so protective of my babies. They need all the love and protection they can get. I smile back at her reassuringly when I answer her honestly.
“We actually only met them yesterday. We just got back from shopping for new clothes and essentials before stopping here. We met them all alone and starving, sneaking into the skating rink downtown,” I tell her.
“As for the ones who marred their beautiful skin, that was their previous foster parents. Don’t worry, we will take care of that little problem as well,” Loki growls. It still pisses me off when I think about what the babies must have suffered.
“We are going to make sure their new life is filled with nothing but love and happiness,” I tell her, smiling. Tish smiles back before nodding.
“Hi, my name's Jade. I’m Tish’s daughter. I’m sorry, I overheard what you were saying. I just want you both to know how amazing you are for taking in those kids. They deserve all the love in the world,” Jade tells us. She’s a beautiful African American woman who resembles Tish a bit. She’s plus size with the most amazing curves. I would kill for her body.
“We are doing nothing but gaining everything in this situation, but thank you. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Halle, by the way,” I tell her, holding my hand out for a shake. I smile when she shakes mine back, and then I point behind me. “This is my man, Loki.” He gives her a chin lift, leaning down and kissing my neck, making a shiver pass through my body.
“Alright, well, let’s go see these babies then. They look like they are ready to crash,” Jade says, and that’s when I see them slowly eating a piece of candy while staring at the TV in the lobby and leaning on each other. Rome yawns, and Rae’s eyes close slowly.
“Alright, how much do we owe you?” Loki asks, pulling out his wallet.
“Oh no, baby. This is on the house. I’m honored to take care of those babies there, and you both standing back and willing to learn—that was enough,” Tish says, trying to wave away Loki.
“Ma’am, I can’t do that. You saved our lives today. I need to give you something,” Loki insists.
“Nope, I won’t accept it,” Tish tells him. Loki looks back into the shop before yelling.
“Yo, Jade!” he calls, and she sticks her head around the corner.
“What’s up?” she asks.
“Where’s your mom’s tip jar?” he asks.
“Oh, it’s at her station,” Jade says, shrugging.
I watch as Loki pulls five one-hundred-dollar bills out of his wallet, walks around the shop, and puts them in the tip jar. Tish opens her mouth to argue, but before she can, Loki speaks up.
“Thank you for what you did for us today and for making us feel like family in your shop. If you ever need anything, here’s my number. I’m part of the Reckless Omens MC, and you now have the club at your back,” he tells her, writing his number on the back of an old receipt. I look up and see tears swimming in Tish’s eyes.
“We’ve been having a tough go of it lately. Jade's father, my amazing husband, passed away not too long ago. We have been so lost without him. Thank you for making my day,” she says, nodding while holding back tears.
“Right back at ‘cha,” Loki tells her. I go around the counter and give her a small hug before going back to the kids.
“We’ll see you all next time,” I tell them, waving, and the kids wave as well. We hop in the SUV and barely get out of the parking lot before both kids are knocked out asleep. Now, I’m ready to get home and get some quality alone time with my man.
“Want to take a ride on Kitty in the next few days?” Loki asks me. “I was thinking she needs a bit of attention. I’ve been denying her that for too long now.”
“Uh… I’ll let you take her out, and I’ll stay with the kids,” I say, curling my lip at him.
The last time I tried getting on the back of Kitty, she wouldn’t start. The minute Loki got her to the garage while I stayed behind, the bitch cranked just fine. Let's just say I don’t mind Loki giving her attention… as long as I don’t have to do the same with the slut.
“One day, you two will get along. I just know it,” he says. I snort and turn my head. Yeah, that’s never going to fucking happen unless I’m dropping her ass off at the junkyard in pieces.